Utah governor says the motive in Kirk shooting is not yet certain but the suspect was on the left
WASHINGTON AP Family and friends of the -year-old accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk described his politics as veering left in fresh years as he spent large amounts of time scrolling the dark corners of the internet Utah Gov Spencer Cox commented Sunday Investigators were still piecing together information about the suspect Tyler Robinson and not yet ready to discuss a prospective motive But Cox noted that Robinson who is not cooperating with law enforcement disliked Kirk and may have been radicalized online Kirk founded Turning Point USA to bring more young conservative evangelical Christians into politics as effective activists and he was a confidant of President Donald Trump leading to a flood of tributes that included a vigil Sunday night at the Kennedy Center in Washington Kirk a -year-old father of two became prominent in part through his speaking tours and he was shot Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University There clearly was a leftist ideology Cox announced on NBC s Meet the Press citing interviews with Robinson s relatives and acquaintances Friends have established that there was kind of that deep dark internet the Reddit lifestyle and these other dark places of the internet where this person was going deep He pointed to references ascertained engraved on the ammunition used to kill Kirk which included anti-fascist and meme-culture language Court records show that one bullet casing had the message Hey fascist Catch A Republican who has called on all partisans to tone down their rhetoric following the attack the governor added I really don t have a dog in this fight If this was a radicalized MAGA person I d be saying that as well Utah s governor says a motive still isn t pinned down Cox stressed on several Sunday morning news shows that investigators are still trying to pin down a motive for the attack on Kirk a Trump confidant The governor declared more information may come out once Robinson appears in court Tuesday Cox revealed the suspect s partner was transgender which particular politicians have pointed to as a sign Robinson was targeting Kirk for his anti-transgender views But bureaucrats have not noted whether it is relevant as they investigate Robinson s motive The roommate was a romantic partner a male transitioning to female Cox mentioned I can say that he has been incredibly cooperative this partner has been very cooperative had no idea that this was happening Investigators have spoken to Robinson s relatives and carried out a search warrant at his family s home in Washington Utah about miles kilometers southwest of Utah Valley University State records show Robinson is registered to vote but not affiliated with a political party and is listed as inactive meaning he did not vote in the two most of up-to-date general elections His parents are registered Republicans The suspect grew up in southwestern Utah Robinson grew up around St George in the southwestern corner of Utah between Las Vegas and natural landmarks including Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks He became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints known widely as the Mormon church at a young age church spokesperson Doug Andersen commented Online activity by Robinson s mother reflects an operational family that traveled widely In one photo a young Robinson can be seen showing contentment as he grips the handles of a -caliber heavy machine gun outside a military facility A high school honor roll participant who scored in the th percentile nationally on standardized tests he was admitted to Utah State University in on a prestigious academic scholarship according to a video of him reading his acceptance letter that was posted to a family member s social media account But he attended for only one semester according to the university He is now enrolled as a third-year attendee in the electrical apprenticeship undertaking at Dixie Technical College in St George Tributes emphasize Kirk s religious faith The vigil at the Kennedy Center was among numerous tributes to Kirk that also included moments of silence at professional sporting events The line of mourners in Washington wrapped around the center Selected people wore suits or summer dresses while others were dressed in jeans and wore Make America Great Again caps Seventeen-year-old Domiano Maceri and his mother drove about miles kilometers from Purceville Virginia to attend the Kennedy Center event He explained Kirk helped him find a way to better talk with friends who hold different opinions I definitely feel like I was inspired in different solutions Maceri announced as he waited to get inside It definitely gave me confidence to speak to my friends about my beliefs more Speakers included White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard two House members whose remembrances of Kirk were briefly stalled when they teared up and House Speaker Mike Johnson Father help us remember the principles of your word that Charlie worked every day to advance that we not return evil for evil but we overcome evil with good Johnson prayed At Dream City Church in Phoenix where Kirk hosted one of his Freedom Night in America gatherings attendees viewed clips of the conservative activist discussing his desire to be remembered for courage for my faith During a question-and-answer session a church pastor Angel Barnett called on the crowd to honor Kirk by carrying on his message The left is nervous Barnett mentioned And they re concerned because they ve lost control Charlie started that and we will continue it Added church panelist Brandon Tatum These cowards thought that they could end or eliminate the movement They just made it bigger They just made it stronger Riccardi shared from Denver Associated Press writer Jonathan Matisse in Nashville Tennessee and AP video journalist Mike Pesoli in Washington contributed to this record Source
